Chesterfield Canal Trust Festival, Staveley Basin. 29th & 30th June

[cheshire~rose]

The Chesterfield Canal Festival will be held at Staveley Town Basin (S43 3XZ) on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th June 2013 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission will be £3, free for Under 12s. There will be free parking on the Hartington Industrial Estate just beyond the Basin.

 

The event is being run in conjunction with an open day at the nearby Barrow Hill Roundhouse who will be running steam and diesel trains (unlimited rides included in the £5 entry ticket price!)

 

I know lots of people will be going to Braunston with their boats but The Trust are hoping a few people will consider bringing their boats to this festival too! Yes I know we still have 8 miles of canal to restore before most of you can get there by boat but we are hoping people with any type of trail boat, dinghy, canoe or radio controlled model boat might bring it along.

 

There will be two boats being craned in for the event on Friday and there is a good slipway for others. There is no charge for boats attending but you will need to get a licence from Derbyshire County Council (The navigation authority for that section)

 

If you can't come by boat then come by car. There is lots to see and do for all ages.

We will have all three of our tripboats in operation. There will be an Entertainment Marquee, a huge range of attractions, stalls, children’s rides and of course food and drink and a Real Ale bar.

Pleasley Vale Canoe & Activity Club will be doing Canoeing and Zorbing.

MRW Railways will be setting up over 60 metres of track for their Miniature Train Rides.

On the Saturday, the Babbling Vagabonds will be storytelling around the site .

On the Sunday we will have a Fun Dog Show, for further details see below.

There will be a concert featuring the Swing Commanders at 7.30 p.m. on the Saturday night. (tickets available on the CCT Website). Gates open at 6.30; the food concessions and bar will be open for the concert.

 

Radio communications will be provided by Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Radio Amateurs Group. The Special Event call sign will be GB3CCF.

Buses 78 and 90, go right past the site; nos. 70, 71, 77 and 81 go very near. There will be free parking nearby. SatNav S43 3XZ.

We will again be combining with Barrow Hill Roundhouse which will be running Open Days. Experience the Roundhouse at work with the resident Peckett Steam Engine and 03 Diesel Shunter hauling passenger trains plus turntable demonstrations and signal box tours. The two sites are only a mile apart and will be linked by a free vintage bus service. There is free parking at Barrow Hill. SatNav S43 2PR.

 

Entertainers booked so far include the Swing Commanders, Grassoline, Black Pig Border Morris, Scuppered, the Babbling Vagabonds, Woodhouse Prize Band, the New Orleans Strollers, Dave Pepper, Albert's Skiffle Band, Whip the Cat, Brampton Community Band, Carlo the Clown, Springwell Community School Choir and Dance.

Food and drink booked so far include Brampton Brewery, North West Catering, Mr Spud, Beanz Around the World, Coconut Tree, French Connection, M&K Sweet Success and Frederick's Ice Cream.

 

 

Lastly - if anyone reading this would be interested in volunteering to help out at the event then all the details about the event and who to contact are here:

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/index.php/events/festival/365-festival-2013

 

It would be lovely to see a few of you there

 

[DHutch]

Bump due to delayed approval.

[mike31]

some of my fleet will be there, if you come pop over an say hello

[cheshire~rose]

We are all set up and ready for you all - gates open at 10am today.

 

We even have some big sparrows arrived!

 

 

 

 

[paddy r]

All the best for today.

[steven wilkinson]

Wooah. How did that boat get under the bridge with that gazebo on its roof?

[cheshire~rose]

The sun shone, the people came and there was a lot of fun.

 

That kind of sums up another totally brilliant festival at Staveley Basin this weekend.

 

A canal festival that takes place on a short section of restored canal not joined up to the rest of the network is never going to be a huge draw to boaters but I know there are hundreds of people who read this forum who are as keen to see the last 8 miles of The Chesterfield Canal restored as I am and those people will be very pleased to hear that our festival was once again a resounding success. As the marquee company is due to arrive today to dismantle the big tent that has been the centre of so much fun and entertainment over the weekend it is far too early for me to offer any statistics about numbers through the gates etc but suffice it to say that I saw the treasurer around 4pm on Sunday and he was smiling

 

Mind you.... I am struggling to remember seeing anyone that wasn't smiling

 

I think all three trip boats were running at capacity for most of the weekend and they have put on some extra trips today to satisfy the demand of those who were unable to get a place.

 

Staveley Basin is on a site that used to be an open cast mine and so for local people to visit the site and have such an enjoyable day out with their families does a lot to raise the profile of the canal in the area. These are the people who can make a difference when The Trust apply for grants.

 

One unexpected visitor managed to put a very big smile on the face of The Chairman. A smart but casually dressed gentleman approached the gate I was manning yesterday morning and when I asked for his £3 entry fee he gave me a look which led me to believe he was a little surprised it was only £3. I noticed a small "CRT" pin on his shirt and wondered who he was. The gate is on a hill overlooking the site and so anyone arriving that way would see a site thronging with people enjoying themselves in the sunshine - a very impressive sight!

 

I happened to see the same gentleman leaving some time later clutching his copy of the brand new 2014 Chesterfield Canal Trust Calendar. I was mildly pleased to know whoever he was, he might have a reminder of The Chesterfield Canal Trust on his wall for a full 13 months.

 

Later that afternoon I saw Robin Stonebridge, The Chairman of Chesterfield Canal Trust. He asked if I had heard about our "visitor" and finally answered the question in my head about who the gentleman had been. It was Richard Parry, The new CEO of CRT. How wonderful of him to pay us a visit on our little stretch of canal that at present still has Derbyshire County Council as the navigation authority! It sounds as though he was impressed by what he saw, especially what appeared to be an army of volunteers wearing big smiles along with their hi-vis "stewards" vests.

 

I understand he was heading down to visit Braunston after leaving us. I wonder if he spotted we also had a presence there too with Python?

 

There are various emails flying around today among the volunteers. All have a similar sentiment but I think the one that said it best was David France

"What a absolute pleasure it is to work with such a fantastic group of volunteers.
We all play a little part ... but together we are unbeatable"

 

I know lots of you would have liked to have supported the event if it had been reachable by boat or if it had not clashed with other waterways festivals.

It would have cost you £3 on the gate and a burger would have cost you a couple of quid so if you would like to donate the fiver you saved by not attending then you can always invest in a brick for Staveley lock! Cheeky? Moi? well actually yes!

 

http://www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/shopping/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=57

 

... and if you are able to do so - please don't forget to "gift aid" your donation